BERLIN – Halloween returned to Berlin in full force this week as trick-or-treating drew thousands to town Sunday.
Witches wandered down Washington Street as plague doctors prowled and Dalmatians dodged Cruella. As it always did in the years before COVID-19, Berlin attracted families from throughout the area for trick-or-treating.
“People who have never even been to Berlin come to Berlin for trick-or-treating,” Police Chief Arnold Downing said.
Thousands of people walked the streets of Berlin Sunday as the town offered trick-or-treating from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Downing said he saw more participants from outside of town than in years past but noted that was likely due to Berlin’s reputation for having “one of the biggest and best” trick-or-treating nights.
“Everything was perfect,” he said.
Ivy Wells, the town’s economic and community development director, said volunteers gave out candy at the welcome center.
“We’ve never seen that many people in Berlin for Halloween,” she said. “Everyone was having a wonderful time. It was nice to see everyone out and about.”
In the days leading up to Halloween, Downing said he’d noticed a grassroots effort by some residents to encourage families to walk throughout town, not just down always-popular Washington Street. Though a line snaked out from the King house — which gave out about 1,500 bags of cotton candy over the course of the night — there did appear to be slightly fewer people than in years past on neighboring Washington Street.
“I saw it spread out a lot more,” Downing said.
A handful of comments popped up on social media criticizing the town’s decision not to close Main Street to vehicle traffic during trick-or-treating even though Washington Street was closed to motorists between West and Main streets. Downing said barricades were set up along Main Street so that it could be blocked if there was a need.
“It never got to that point,” he said.
Downing added that some people were bound to walk in the street whether it was closed or not. He said law enforcement had to weigh various issues, including accessibility for emergency vehicles, when they made the decision to close streets. He said they’d considered the issue this year and would do the same before Halloween next year.
“We can’t block every street or we’ll have accidents,” he added, noting that numerous street closures would confuse motorists.
Downing said police were throughout town Sunday ensuring things went smoothly in various neighborhoods and stayed out long past trick-or-treating ended at 7 p.m. to make sure there were no issues. Downing’s staff also checked candy at town hall.
“We’ve always liked trick-or-treating,” he said. “We’ve never taken it as a chore. It’s always been a positive for us. We really enjoy it.”
